This post has been republished with updates since its original publish date in July 2013

Quick access to complete and accurate vehicle specifications is necessary for many businesses in the automotive and allied industries. Firstly, I want to clarify that “vehicle specifications” can fit into more than one category. Some businesses may be looking to identify “construction” vehicle specs such as weights, dimensions, capacities, etc., while other businesses may be looking for “operation” and/or “performance” vehicle specs, including engine and transmission, standard and optional equipment, fuel economy, exterior and interior colors, etc.

Regardless of which vehicle specs your business is looking to identify, scanning through OEM websites, vehicle manuals, or even your own internal management system/DMS often involves more effort than time allows. This is where VIN decoding comes in handy. Identifying vehicle specs by VIN number with use of a VIN decoding solution is ideal for businesses working with several vehicle makes and models.

Managing a fleet, big or small, is not an easy task. There are several items to account for and challenges to overcome in order to run a successful fleet. Some of these include saving money on fuel, ensuring the safety and job satisfaction of your drivers, keeping up with vehicle maintenance and repairs, and etc.

Like an individual fingerprint unique to each person, the Vehicle Identification Number is unique to each individual vehicle. And just like the federal government maintains a database of fingerprints in order to access information on individuals registered in the system quickly and accurately, a VIN database can also access a wealth of information on each vehicle in the system in a quick, organized, and easy manner.

We came across this interesting article on CarConnection today, referencing a study done by the Frontier Group that was surprizing to say the least. Younger folks driving less.. a lot less? Several possibilities for this are discussed including results from polls by concerned automakers. General consensus is that driving cuts into texting and social media time vs more lifestyle friendly public transportation. The Frontier Group study makes an interesting case with a focus on data for transportation policies. Download the Frontier Group study here

It is not uncommon for some of the people that express interest in our VIN data to have little experience with automotive data in the past. They may be new to the company, position or they may be looking to apply an existing business model in a new way that requires a VIN decoder or vehicle data. Many times these people are not quite sure what to expect to get in return from decoding 17 digit VINs. Below are a list of 10 things that you can expect to be returned when decoding US Passenger and Light-Duty Vehicle Identification Numbers.